Like all states, Michigan has certain places that are going on hard times. These Michigan places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Michigan.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 153 cities in Michigan with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Michigan For 2026:
What’s the poorest city in Michigan? According to the facts, Highland Park is the poorest place in Michigan for 2026.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Michigan
- Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Michigan For 2026
1. Highland Park
/10
Population: 8,628
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $29,309 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.9% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,529
More on Highland Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Highland Park, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Michigan thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 8,628 people averages the lowest median household income in Michigan and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Benton Harbor
/10
Population: 8,953
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $31,117 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.1% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,591
More on Benton Harbor: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The second poorest city in Michigan is Benton Harbor.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the highest in the Wolverine State.
3. Hamtramck
/10
Population: 27,743
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 5)
Median Income: $39,293 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.9% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 11,075
More on Hamtramck: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Placing as the third poorest city, Hamtramck’s median income ranks as the 7th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 39.92% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Wolverine State.
4. Muskegon Heights
/10
Population: 9,841
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $35,239 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.1% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,357
More on Muskegon Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Muskegon Heights ranks as the fourth poorest place in Michigan.
The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Inkster
/10
Population: 25,428
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $39,252 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.2% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 8,960
More on Inkster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The fifth poorest city in Michigan is Inkster.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 7th highest in Michigan.
Still not the best news for Inkster.
6. Flint
/10
Population: 80,175
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $37,646 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.1% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 27,331
More on Flint: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Flint ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Wolverine State.
It ranks as having the 10th highest incidence of poverty and the 3rd highest unemployment rate.
7. River Rouge
/10
Population: 7,008
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $41,053 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.8% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,789
More on River Rouge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
River Rouge places as the seventh poorest city in Michigan.
The city of over 7,008 ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Saginaw
/10
Population: 43,536
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $38,579 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.0% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 14,806
More on Saginaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Saginaw ranks as the eighth poorest city in Michigan.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Houghton
/10
Population: 8,474
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Median Income: $43,456 (13th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.1% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,396
More on Houghton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Houghton couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Michigan; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 13th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Houghton ranks as having the 3rd most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Michigan.
10. Melvindale
/10
Population: 12,554
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $42,185 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.1% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,909
More on Melvindale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Michigan is Melvindale.
The city of 12,554 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Wolverine State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Michigan for 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 153 places with more than 5,000 people in Michigan, we ranked each place from 1 to 153 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Highland Park, crowned the “Poorest Place In Michigan For 2026”.
This report has been updated for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the poorest places in Michigan.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Michigan For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Michigan, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Michigan.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Michigan, according to data:
-
Richest: Beverly Hills
2nd Richest: Huntington Woods
3rd Richest: Grosse Pointe Farms
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Michigan
- Safest Places In Michigan
- Worst Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Michigan
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Michigan
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highland Park | 8,628 | 40.9% | $29,309 | 3,529 |
| 2 | Benton Harbor | 8,953 | 40.1% | $31,117 | 3,591 |
| 3 | Hamtramck | 27,743 | 39.9% | $39,293 | 11,075 |
| 4 | Muskegon Heights | 9,841 | 34.1% | $35,239 | 3,357 |
| 5 | Inkster | 25,428 | 35.2% | $39,252 | 8,960 |
| 6 | Flint | 80,175 | 34.1% | $37,646 | 27,331 |
| 7 | River Rouge | 7,008 | 39.8% | $41,053 | 2,789 |
| 8 | Saginaw | 43,536 | 34.0% | $38,579 | 14,806 |
| 9 | Houghton | 8,474 | 40.1% | $43,456 | 3,396 |
| 10 | Melvindale | 12,554 | 39.1% | $42,185 | 4,909 |
| 11 | Detroit | 638,530 | 32.7% | $39,938 | 208,863 |
| 12 | Big Rapids | 8,477 | 34.1% | $43,858 | 2,891 |
| 13 | Albion | 7,560 | 25.1% | $39,885 | 1,901 |
| 14 | Ecorse | 9,064 | 29.4% | $40,241 | 2,662 |
| 15 | Mount Pleasant | 21,236 | 31.4% | $44,706 | 6,665 |
| 16 | East Lansing | 45,758 | 33.0% | $45,687 | 15,109 |
| 17 | Muskegon | 37,226 | 24.9% | $44,735 | 9,250 |
| 18 | Jackson | 31,058 | 24.6% | $44,558 | 7,646 |
| 19 | Pontiac | 62,104 | 24.4% | $44,329 | 15,140 |
| 20 | Ypsilanti | 19,857 | 24.8% | $46,588 | 4,932 |
| 21 | Ludington | 7,676 | 22.5% | $46,411 | 1,724 |
| 22 | Kalamazoo | 73,076 | 24.9% | $52,272 | 18,174 |
| 23 | Port Huron | 28,620 | 22.6% | $50,366 | 6,468 |
| 24 | Dowagiac | 5,732 | 21.4% | $48,166 | 1,224 |
| 25 | Hillsdale | 8,002 | 22.9% | $51,038 | 1,830 |
| 26 | Alpena | 10,154 | 21.2% | $47,545 | 2,156 |
| 27 | Springfield | 5,269 | 19.1% | $44,808 | 1,004 |
| 28 | Lapeer | 9,082 | 24.5% | $52,716 | 2,222 |
| 29 | Coldwater | 13,671 | 21.3% | $50,781 | 2,906 |
| 30 | Adrian | 20,395 | 20.3% | $50,209 | 4,132 |
| 31 | Bay City | 32,320 | 19.1% | $49,420 | 6,186 |
| 32 | Escanaba | 12,354 | 17.7% | $45,369 | 2,189 |
| 33 | Alma | 9,396 | 21.7% | $53,307 | 2,038 |
| 34 | Marquette | 21,325 | 22.4% | $55,613 | 4,785 |
| 35 | Cadillac | 10,445 | 18.2% | $51,773 | 1,900 |
| 36 | Niles | 11,803 | 17.8% | $51,376 | 2,100 |
| 37 | Davison | 5,076 | 16.1% | $48,814 | 819 |
| 38 | Menominee | 8,326 | 16.4% | $49,432 | 1,362 |
| 39 | Lansing | 113,023 | 20.1% | $54,382 | 22,762 |
| 40 | Ishpeming | 6,181 | 18.7% | $52,754 | 1,155 |
| 41 | Lincoln Park | 39,257 | 21.5% | $58,616 | 8,440 |
| 42 | Three Rivers | 7,943 | 15.0% | $49,503 | 1,192 |
| 43 | Dearborn Heights | 61,771 | 21.9% | $60,391 | 13,546 |
| 44 | Mount Clemens | 15,511 | 16.4% | $52,310 | 2,536 |
| 45 | Sault Ste. Marie | 13,335 | 17.8% | $55,328 | 2,376 |
| 46 | Owosso | 14,632 | 17.2% | $54,229 | 2,519 |
| 47 | Monroe | 20,320 | 19.2% | $59,813 | 3,901 |
| 48 | Center Line | 8,463 | 16.8% | $54,703 | 1,423 |
| 49 | Battle Creek | 52,374 | 17.6% | $55,693 | 9,217 |
| 50 | Dearborn | 107,423 | 24.3% | $65,324 | 26,136 |
| 51 | St. Louis | 7,367 | 13.4% | $51,167 | 987 |
| 52 | Taylor | 62,081 | 18.4% | $61,081 | 11,404 |
| 53 | Allegan | 5,172 | 13.9% | $52,925 | 717 |
| 54 | Gladstone | 5,253 | 14.1% | $54,970 | 740 |
| 55 | Wayne | 17,310 | 15.7% | $59,038 | 2,724 |
| 56 | Burton | 29,500 | 16.1% | $60,052 | 4,752 |
| 57 | Manistee | 6,275 | 16.8% | $60,541 | 1,054 |
| 58 | Eastpointe | 33,982 | 17.5% | $62,325 | 5,943 |
| 59 | Harper Woods | 15,116 | 19.8% | $65,022 | 2,994 |
| 60 | Belding | 5,960 | 15.5% | $60,373 | 923 |
| 61 | Iron Mountain | 7,518 | 13.5% | $59,405 | 1,013 |
| 62 | Grand Haven | 10,996 | 14.5% | $60,669 | 1,591 |
| 63 | Hastings | 7,520 | 12.5% | $58,286 | 936 |
| 64 | Westland | 83,633 | 14.3% | $62,076 | 11,976 |
| 65 | Zeeland | 5,665 | 10.4% | $52,628 | 589 |
| 66 | Warren | 137,928 | 14.8% | $64,016 | 20,371 |
| 67 | Sturgis | 11,054 | 13.4% | $62,710 | 1,479 |
| 68 | Grand Rapids | 198,535 | 16.9% | $69,108 | 33,631 |
| 69 | Eaton Rapids | 5,183 | 13.5% | $63,875 | 698 |
| 70 | Roseville | 47,123 | 12.5% | $62,182 | 5,909 |
| 71 | Ann Arbor | 122,036 | 23.8% | $82,212 | 29,081 |
| 72 | Richmond | 5,855 | 13.5% | $64,719 | 788 |
| 73 | New Haven | 6,475 | 13.8% | $66,125 | 894 |
| 74 | Charlotte | 9,277 | 11.1% | $62,681 | 1,033 |
| 75 | Greenville | 8,995 | 11.5% | $63,285 | 1,037 |
| 76 | Ionia | 12,753 | 12.0% | $63,978 | 1,535 |
| 77 | Romulus | 24,831 | 13.5% | $69,151 | 3,357 |
| 78 | Hazel Park | 14,963 | 12.3% | $67,073 | 1,837 |
| 79 | St. Johns | 7,715 | 12.5% | $68,728 | 962 |
| 80 | Kingsford | 5,124 | 9.0% | $61,635 | 461 |
| 81 | Utica | 5,180 | 7.5% | $58,718 | 390 |
| 82 | Wixom | 17,295 | 10.9% | $65,485 | 1,881 |
| 83 | Fraser | 14,583 | 10.4% | $64,354 | 1,522 |
| 84 | Howell | 10,021 | 7.7% | $60,449 | 773 |
| 85 | Wyandotte | 24,489 | 13.0% | $71,987 | 3,178 |
| 86 | Garden City | 26,739 | 10.7% | $67,294 | 2,858 |
| 87 | Oak Park | 29,318 | 12.0% | $71,510 | 3,512 |
| 88 | Madison Heights | 28,419 | 10.8% | $69,503 | 3,069 |
| 89 | Holly | 5,964 | 8.5% | $64,305 | 505 |
| 90 | Southgate | 29,366 | 9.4% | $66,118 | 2,769 |
| 91 | Swartz Creek | 5,853 | 10.9% | $71,571 | 637 |
| 92 | Traverse City | 15,593 | 12.3% | $74,087 | 1,911 |
| 93 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | 12.9% | $78,648 | 1,643 |
| 94 | Southfield | 76,236 | 10.2% | $68,166 | 7,814 |
| 95 | Walled Lake | 7,299 | 10.4% | $72,055 | 762 |
| 96 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | 9.0% | $68,052 | 718 |
| 97 | Wyoming | 77,353 | 10.5% | $73,677 | 8,091 |
| 98 | Midland | 42,724 | 10.3% | $73,325 | 4,396 |
| 99 | Tecumseh | 8,646 | 5.6% | $62,835 | 487 |
| 100 | Sterling Heights | 133,573 | 11.1% | $79,909 | 14,773 |